The community spirit of the student ambassadors program

February 13, 2020 ·

Contributed by: Rebecca Hull, Marketing and Communications Strategist

All the work we do at DeGroote has centred around our values of innovation, collaboration, and generosity. From faculty, staff, and students – we give willingly, work to inspire others, and try to go above and beyond. We are a group of people working together to build our community and transform society.

This building of community is integral to the DeGroote student ambassador program. Over 120 student ambassadors are actively involved at the School and contribute to the campus community positively. They serve as representatives of DeGroote, are the first contact point for many prospective students, and facilitate various initiatives on behalf of the faculty.

The ambassador program is the missing link in the recruitment process. Ambassadors share their knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm with prospective and current students by supporting a range of orientations, campus-wide outreach, welcome activities, tours, and events.

Meet the two DeGroote leaders who worked with Victoria Doidge, Recruitment and Admissions Officer, to develop and administer the ambassador program in 2019.

Joel MacPherson. Photography by Ishan Kaushal.

doidgev@mcmaster.ca

Joel MacPherson
Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Ambassador Lead

Joel is in his final year at DeGroote, working towards his Bachelor of Commerce degree, specializing in finance operations. He is actively involved in building the DeGroote community by acting as one of the lead ambassadors, serving as President of the DeGroote Commerce Society, and supporting students as a teaching assistant. He is proud of his work in developing the ambassador program at a grassroots level and making a difference in his community.

We are translating our values through the ambassadors,” said Joel MacPherson. “We are passionate about helping others and being part of a team that is leaving a legacy. We are only at the start of this [ambassador] program, and we hope that it will continue for many, many years.”

Will Stephenson. Photography by Ishan Kaushal.

Will Stephenson
Integrated Business and Humanities (IBH) Ambassador Lead

Will is a third-year Integrated Business and Humanities student who chose DeGroote because of the strong sense of community. He is part of this program’s first cohort, developing skills in responsible leadership and community engagement. He jumped at the chance to create, lead, and shape the ambassador program.

Community is what separates DeGroote from all of the other universities out there,” said Will Stephenson. “The culture at DeGroote is founded in the community, and the open-door policy is exceptional here. The ambassadors work to build on that by being one overall unit that is communicative and collaborative at every opportunity.”

We recruit ambassadors to serve future students and the community better. They work with potential students to communicate what life is like at DeGroote, what it means to be a student here and to encourage them to apply to university. You will find our student ambassadors in a lot of different places around DeGroote. They are passionate about the School, its programs and community, and love to help others get the best out of it.